Guwahati: The standing committee of the National Board for Wildlife (NBWL) has called for initiating a comprehensive study on the hydrology and ecology of the Demwe hydel power project in Arunachal Pradesh before it can be given final clearance. The decision was taken at the 48th meeting of the standing committee of the board in the last week of March in New Delhi. The 1,750 mega watt (MW) Demwe lower project, proposed to be constructed in the Lohit district of Arunachal Pradesh, is being executed jointly by Athena Energy Ventures and the Arunachal Pradesh government. The minutes of the meeting which was made public on Thursday stated that the committee has asked the Dehradun-based Wildlife Institute of India (WII) to carry out hydrology/ecology study and submit the report to the ministry of environment, forests and climate change in three months. Member of the board R.D. Kamboj stated that a comprehensive peer-reviewed study on hydrology and ecology of three seasons by a reputed and neutral scientificechnical organisation is needed before according clearance to the project. Another member, H.S. Singh, said in the meeting that the impact study of the project has not been carried out by the Athena Energy Ventures and the state government. The environment clearance to the project was granted by the ministry in 2010 and the project site is 8.5km from Kamlang wildlife sanctuary. The National Green Tribunal had cancelled the final forest clearance last year given to the project by the Centre. The tribunal had said to reject the majority of the non-official members, who happened to be experts in the field, is not sustainable in law. The final forest clearance was given in May 2013. A senior official of the ministry said in the 46th meeting it was decided by the standing committee that a panel comprising R. Sukumar, member NBWL, one representative of WII and a representative of the National Tiger Conservation Authority would visit the site and submit the detailed report to the ministry within 30 days for further consideration. Sukumar, however, informed about his inability to conduct site inspection and requested to nominate another member. The standing committee in its 47th meeting held on January 25 decided that the director of Gujarat Ecological Education and Research Foundation (GEER) and member of the NBWL, R.D. Kamboj will replace Sukumar in the committee and requested it to complete site inspection and submit a detailed report to the ministry within 30 days for further consideration. The committee visited the project site on February 25-28 and furnished the report.